thankful Archives

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”

Lamentations 3:22-24 (English Standard Version)

The holiday season and new year is the perfect time to pause and reflect on everything for which we have to be thankful. We have the opportunity to be surrounded by loved ones and enjoy time and fellowship with one another. The Lord has truly blessed us all with so much and given us the perfect gift; Jesus, who offers us a true and deep sense of peace and contentment. Peace and contentment can rise up in us through nature, or music or kind people. If we recognize these things as blessings it only takes a moment to accept his invitation to receive them and allow them to nurture us.

During this time, it can be so easy to get caught up with the busyness of traveling, buying gifts, and attending holiday gatherings; we can quickly lose sight of the true meaning of the Christmas season. When our focus is centralized on things we may not have, such as material items, a significant other, the perfect decorations or event schedules, our vision can be clouded of everything we do have. The craving and striving that cause discontent will feed feelings of disappointment and can cause us to feel abandoned and forgotten. Feeding this seed of discontentment will only create a deep and relentless hunger that can never be satisfied.

Shifting our focus to gratefulness definitely takes practice and a conscious effort. Try a personal test: one day, practice your grateful muscle by putting effort into noticing every blessing throughout the day – driving your car to work, meeting a friend for lunch, putting your coat on when you walk outside, receiving a smile from a stranger. It does take time and practice; but by being intentional, we can develop a more positive, grateful outlook. It starts with being grateful for what we do have in the present moment. All of the sudden something like “being able to breathe on your own” becomes very valuable.

Our prayer for you is that this season you will be surrounded by love and filled with joy! Blessings from our families to yours.

-The Van Zandt and Saviers families

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Matthew 25: 21 “Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner.” The Message Bible

Our family has so much to be thankful for this year. Tommy has been on the receiving end of people willing to share their God given energy, intellect, talent or treasure for the benefit of his physical care. At the beginning of October, the community of Fayetteville and beyond, came together for Tommy’s Nite Out to raise money for his care giving. His injury requires that he has 24-hour care; if he is not able to stay at home with caregivers, he would need to live in a health facility. Needless to say, our family is beyond grateful that he is able to live at home. He gets up every day, and during the week goes to his office in Rogers. He may be severely disabled, but his attitude is abundantly able. Just ask anyone who spends time with him. He does not feel sorry for himself and is always asking how he can help.

In October we were invited to speak at Cross Church’s Summit Luncheon about Flipped! Triumph over Tragedy, Mark Saviers’ book recounting the aftermath of Tommy’s accident. Opportunities like this encourage us to continue pressing on. Our family is able to triumph over this tragedy because we have a sense of belonging to a greater purpose. These opportunities allow us to connect and communicate to others how God has walked with us through the past ten years.

We have observed that people who encourage and support others come from a place of abundance. An attitude of abundance results from believing that giving one’s time, talent, and resources in service to others has its own rewards. These actions as mentioned in the scripture above create a sense of belonging to a greater cause, a quiet satisfaction of a job well done, a partnership and a trust in the Creator of the world, that is a reward in and of itself. These actions create a heart filled with gratitude which is the fuel for an abundant mindset.

What in your life brings to you a sense of gratitude? Here are some things that come to mind: a beautiful autumn day in the Ozarks, observing a teenager helping his wobbly grandmother, a beloved pet lovingly looking at her “human,” a choir singing, the quiet and trust between loved ones, cuddling a baby.

Any time you feel like life is unfair, or challenges seem overwhelming and a sense of despair is clouding your vision, take a few moments to consider what you still have versus what you have lost. Gratitude can start with breathing: breathing is a gift, life is a gift, memories are a gift. You are a gift.

Happy Thanksgiving, we pray for an abundance in your mind, your heart, your life.

The Van Zandt/Saviers Family

Tag Archives: thankful

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